Losing You
by IHM
Summary: Clare has moved to Forget-me-not valley for a new life away from the city. Will she be able to cope with hard work, tough villagers and even extreme heartbreak?


**Losing You – The Prologue**

_Losing you was never what I intended to happen. No, it wasn't even something I had ever dreamed of wanting to happen. It all happened so quick, and now you've gone I'm finding it hard to carry on, if only that fateful day had never happened._

Clare gazed out of the car window nervously, the butterflies in her stomach felt like they were beating against her, and multiplying in their number rapidly. Green fields flew by as the old machine drove on. Each house came close to, she went through the same process of crossing her fingers that this house was the one. The old man in the front driving seemed to smirk each time. Clare sat back into the seat, sighing miserably as the heavens opened and a downpour of rain came. She sighed, wishing that the weather wouldn't be like this at her new farm.

Her wish came true, but not in the way she intended. It was dark outside and a terrible wind had picked up, the rain hadn't stopped either. She stepped out onto the muddy grass, a squelch accompanied her with every step she took. The taxi driver had drove off as soon as she had taken her bags from the boot and slammed the door closed. Clare cursed under her breath as she stumbled through the dark to the welcoming light coming from a house up a lane. She sniffed, she was definitely on _a_ farm, whether it was the right one was a whole new question. She approached the door, the butterflies had disappeared, they were replaced with a feeling of tiredness. Yes, she was too tired to care whether she was going the right way.

She knocked on the door and waited impatiently for a reply. She could hear the murmuring and shuffling as whoever was in the house fumbled around for a key to let her in. The door swung open quickly. In front of her stood a very tired looking woman. Her pink hair was tied up in a neat bun, a few stray strands had fallen astray and hung rebelliously by her ears.

"Yes?" She asked, her voice croaky from being woken up.

"Um, I'm Clare, I'm meant to be buying a farm nearby and I was dropped off here..." She stammered, suddenly realizing that this obviously wasn't her farm.

The woman in front of Clare put her hand on her forehead, apparently thinking. Her tired eyes fell back to Clare. "The only farm for sale is in Forget-me-not valley, this is mineral town."

"Oh..." Clare's face fell, she flicked a strand of very wet hair from her face.

"No matter, I'll ask Trent to take you over there tomorrow when he leaves for his rounds." She smiled warmly, "now come in before you freeze!" She smiled and ushered the shocked woman into her house.

"But I'll be intruding..." Clare stammered in reply as the kind lady removed her coat and rushed about for a towel muttering under her breath, something about a girl called Popuri not putting things away.

"No, no, we'll put you in our spare room, it will be fine. Aha!" She had opened a draw and pulled out a large beach towel, she hurried over to Clare and flung it around her smiling warmly. Clare pulled the white towel further around her shoulder, grateful for it's warmth. While the woman busied about the house, Clare curiously looked over to a table where many photos stood proud in their frames. They seemed to be arranged in a chronological order. Black and white photos of chicken farmers on the left, progressively growing in quality to the right. But in the middle was one photo, it was obviously taken with a relatively modern camera. It showed a family of four laughing, all very similar. The women both had vivid pink hair, and the men blondish locks off long hair, nearly to their shoulders. They all looked so happy. Clare noticed that as the pictures progressed, the eldest man was no longer in them. Clare was curious, but felt it would be best not to ask any questions. Quietly she wandered off into an open door, inside was a bedroom, out of the corner of her eye she had seen the woman go in and arrange something in there. Presuming this was the spare room she settled down quickly to go to sleep in an instant.

Sunlight broke through into the room Clare had been sleeping in, causing her to wake up. Her hair was still slightly damp from those few minutes in the rain last night,she sighed and started to get dressed, rummaging through her bags carefully, making sure she didn't let anything fall out. She ran a brush through her blonde silky hair quickly and shoved her hairbrush back into the side pocket of her suitcase.

Out of the corner of her blue eyes she noticed a tall and lanky figure wander timidly into her room. She turned to look at the guest with a smile spread across her rosy face.

"Do you want something?" She asked sweetly, running her fingers through her hair in a last check for any tangles. She gazed at him as he started to talk hesitantly.

"Lillia says I am to take you to the clinic." He smiled back and laughed nervously, willing to wait a while for her to be ready. Clare nodded and picked up her baggage.

"Lead the way." She was eager to get to _her_ farm today as quickly as possible, though she wouldn't have been able to do anything on it last night, the delay made her anxious. The young man took two of her bags off Clare as soon as they had left the house. Clare could of sworn that she had heard him gasp in surprise at their small weight. "I travel light." She informed him, grinning to herself. Her farm was a chance at a fresh start in life, away from the city and the stress of office work. She was still very young at twenty two but still felt a life in the country side was the way to go. Calm, peaceful and hopefully laid back. So she decided to give away most of her old belongings.

He didn't talk much, he walked ahead of Clare not muttering a word. She sighed and decided to ask his name. "Rick." He replied simply, obviously not taking the hint for a conversation. Clare rolled her eyes and sighed very quietly under her breath.

"Well I'm Clare." It was like talking to a brick wall she thought as she spoke those words to the back of Rick's head, his long locks bouncing slightly off his shoulders with every step. "Can you thank your mother for me? I doubt I'll see her again." She requested just as Rick stopped in front of a house with a large sign in the front with bold letters saying Clinic. She eased her bags out from his hands and smiled at him, waiting patiently for a reply.

He nodded, "Of course, Doctor Trent will be taking you to Forget-me-not valley. You'll like it there, and if you need any poultry..." His voice drifted off as he scratched his head. "Well, just give a ring." And without another word he turned on his heels and headed back to his duties on his own farm.

A gentle rumble reminded Clare of where she was about to be going, the butterflies in her stomach fluttered back, sending a feeling of great anticipation down her nervous spine. Down the Clinics drive came the doctor's car, it's scratched black paint work gleaming in the morning sunlight.

"You're Clare aren't you?" A man with a mop of black hair poked his head out of the window, without waiting for a confirmation he beckoned her in, "Come on, haven't got all day you know."

This time round the journey was much more pleasant, this time not in the dark, but in the sunlight and barely a cloud in the deep blue sky. She found herself gripping onto the sides of her seat as the Doctor turned round tight country road corners with rapid speed. She wondered to herself whether he ever he knew about the break pedal.

Tall hills loomed over the cars, their overgrown grass swaying gently in the breeze and sheep grazed on the less long patches. After a while the car was heading onto a dirt track which seemingly never ended. "Nearly there now." The Doctor Trent informed his nervous passenger as they both caught sight of a few small houses in fields. He glanced over to her pale face and chuckled. "Cold feet?" He asked, but in a statement like way. "No need to be so worried, Takura will take good care of you, and just about everyone in the valley is really nice." By now he had started to slow down as he entered the valley.

"_Nearly _everyone?" Clare said, questioning this statement.

Trent raised an eyebrow ever so slightly, "Yes, nearly. But I don't think anyone will bother you." And with those final last words he drew the car to a stop outside a small lane. "Just go up the track, your farm is just there."

Clare nodded sheepishly and got out the car with her bags and slowly made her way up to her new life.


End file.
